ZURICH (AP) FIFA signed its first World Cup sponsor since 2013 on Friday, agreeing to a four-tournament deal with a Chinese conglomerate that has links to Sepp Blatter.
FIFA said the deal with property and cinema giant Dalian Wanda Group runs through the 2030 World Cup. The value of the top-tier partnership was not disclosed but is likely to top hundreds of millions of dollars.
The firm's Wanda Sports Holding subsidiary is led by Blatter's nephew, Philippe Blatter. Sepp Blatter was forced out as FIFA president by a corruption crisis.
Wanda Group chairman Wang Jianlin and Philippe Blatter were at FIFA headquarters on Friday to complete the deal.